PureAlps 2016 - 2020. Monitoring of persistent organic pollutants and mercury in the Alpine region (immission, deposition, biota).

The PureAlps project investigated whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury and other selected pollutants can be detected in the Alpine region. In cooperation between the Bavarian State Office for the Environment and the Austrian Federal Environment Agency, data on the bioaccumulation of pollutants in ecosystems in the Alps were collected for the first time. The series of measurements on air and deposition samples at the Zugspitze and Hohe Sonnblick continued. PureAlps shows that long-lived pollutants are introduced into the Alpine region and can lead to pollution in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. International regulations regarding problematic chemicals are therefore of great importance for the protection of the Alps.